Last week I had the honor of attending what immediately became one of my favorite editorial events in the jewelry world: the AGTA Spectrum Awards Media Event. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know why I loved it – table after table of exceptional gemstone jewelry in a sun-filled penthouse venue.

I stayed for 5 hours.

The AGTA Spectrum awards – founded in 1984 – seek to recognize and promote fine jewelers who use colored gemstones and cultured pearls in exceptional fine jewelry designs. I’d followed the event for years, but AGTA Spectrum 2016 is the first time I was able to attend myself.

Here are my favorite of the pieces I saw at the AGTA Spectrum 2016 press event. Some of them overlap with the actual winners, some do not.

These babies from Gregore Morin of Gregore Joailliers were one of my very very favorites of the whole AGTA Spectrum 2016 event. Thin, perfectly hewn panels of lapis lazuli set with pink tourmaline in 18k yellow gold. To-die-for.

This ring from the fabulous Wendy Brandes is simply one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s rose and white gold with platinum; studded with 4.5 cts of tsavorite garnets along with brown diamonds, white diamonds, rubies, and Kashi pearls.

Look at the dragon’s face – this is a tiny sculpture, not an accessory. Also? The tiny treasure chest really opens, revealing a minuscule dragon’s hoard of gemstones and pearls.

It’s from her Maneater series, so it has a secret: when you flip the ring over, you can see the body of a vanquished knight digesting in the dragon’s stomach. It’s called the Dragon and Knight ring.

This is the Erica Courtney “Starburst” necklace with a 15.25 carat opal, accented with pink spinels, demantoid garnets, and diamonds. I just love that chain with its bright, precious fringe.

Have you heard that emerald engagement rings are back? It was clearly the case at AGTA Spectrum 2016 – these two beauties by VALANI were my favorites. Cabochon and cushion, both exceptional.

Another super favorite of the day: this is the Galaxy bracelet from Michael Endlich of Pave Fine Jewelry. It’s silver with 22k yellow gold with sapphires and diamonds. It’s one of the subtler pieces I saw at AGTA Spectrum 2016, but I think it’s just fantastic.

Detail of the Galaxy bracelet. I love the texture and the understated colors with the rich yellow gold sprinkled across it.

These earrings from William Travis Jewelry were incredible – the gemstone components have their own glow.

Another very unique – but more understated – piece from William Travis Jewelry is this green tourmaline ring. The tourmaline is stunning, but what caught my eye was the setting: structural yellow gold with tiny, dangling rose gold chain fringes.

These brooches are both by Naomi Sarna Designs – one with a baroque freshwater cultured pearl and colored sapphires, amethysts and diamonds on both. Naomi Sarna had a number of pieces in the AGTA Spectrum 2016 showcase and I loved every single one.

Aren’t the colors on this wedding set wonderful? It’s mostly aquamarine (5.96 ct center stone) with tsavorite garnets and diamonds. By Robert Pellicca at JR Dunn Jewelers.

And that side view! Swoon.

This set falls right in with one of the most prominent trends I noticed among the AGTA Spectrum 2016 submissions – green and blue gemstones. Lots of emerald and tourmaline in particular.

How about these bi-color tourmaline pieces of heaven? By Julie Lamb.

I loved the color contrast and the details on these earrings by Brenda Smith. 22k gold leaves and cultured pearls on silver.

How perfectly lovely is this set of rings by Laurence Bruyninckx? 14k white and rose gold set with diamonds, pink tourmaline, and pink sapphires. I love the effect of the diversely clustered marquise stones.

I had a wonderful conversation once with Pamela Huizenga, the designer of this piece, about how she wished she could just attach precious stones to her skin. I’m glad she still has to make them into jewelry, because that’s how this fire opal stingray brooch happened. So good.

I had to put these of Annie Fensterstock earrings on as soon as I saw them. I claim these in the name of Team Brunette.

Hello, beautiful. I have a thing for antique snake rings, and I didn’t think they had a contemporary equivalent until I met this wonder by Juan Da Silva.

This bracelet was one of the pieces from AGTA Spectrum 2016 that I most wanted to added to my personal jewelry wardrobe. It’s by K Brunini Jewels, and it’s ridiculously cool. The joined triangles make it look like a starburst on your arm when it’s worn; the triangles feature black opals on one side and rich, brown cocobolo wood on the other side, with yellow diamonds for added pizzazz.

How’s this for a statement ring? By Jennifer R. Morin of Gregore Joailliers, this sterling silver ring features a 30.70 ct fire agate cabochon set in mother of pearl with green garnets. Such mesmerizing iridescence.

These pearl-on-pearl Finestro earrings were getting a lot of attention, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re not the flashiest, but the extremely cool texture of the tiny cultured freshwater pearls set into the opening in a larger freshwater cultured pearl is fascinating.

This spectacular trio can be separated and worn individually, but I love how they stack all together. The top ring is white gold with diamonds and a 5.84ct tanzanite, the middle has a 2.47 pink spinel with diamonds and small pink spinels, and the third ring has diamonds in white gold with a 4.56 ct red spinel. By Gulgun Buldanlioglu of Maya Fine Jewelry.

These Campbellian earrings won Best Use of Color and it’s not hard to see why. 17.05 carats of green tourmaline with 4.14 carats of emeralds. (You see what I mean about green gemstones trending?)

I’m not going to lie to you, I just wore this necklace around the event for a while. This peacock feather necklace by Robert Pellicca of J.R. Dunn Jewelers start with a 7.78 carat opal and just gets better from there.

THIS is the Tempest ring by Lindhardt Designs. Made from oxidized sterling silver and yellow sapphires, it’s another well-deserving award winner. So visually interesting, and much more comfortable to wear than you might expect.

I am apparently wearing it backwards in this photo – so please imagine it the other way around.

These babies were the very last piece I saw. The kind AGTA Spectrum folks has already called a car for me and I was waiting by the door with my purse and my coat when I realized I’d missed these earrings. I dropped my things on the ground (like a lady) and ran off to get one last photo. Totally worth it.

A huge thank you to every designer who submitted to AGTA Spectrum 2016: thank you for sending your beautiful work in where I could see it. Also special thanks to Michelle and Beth Anne for organizing such a fantastic event!

You already know I’m a fan of Todd Reed’s work: his unique aesthetic and devotion to showcasing the earth’s natural beauties are hard to forget. When I realized I was going to be in the same city as the flagship Todd Reed studio (Boulder, CO), I know that I wouldn’t be able to resist popping in.

The purpose of our trip was to see Mr. DitL’s BFF for his 30th birthday, but my patient husband understands that I have a hard time making any journey jewelry-free.

The flagship Todd Reed studio in Boulder is beautiful and on-brand from the outside in. The entire space was designed in line with Todd’s aesthetic, and it shows.

When you enter, you walk straight into this bright, airy showroom. The high ceilings, wood-and-metal fixtures, water feature, and lush indoor garden give the room a unique organic/industrial feeling that feels utterly peaceful and luxurious.

If you’re lucky enough to get to go into the back rooms (like I did!) you get to walk by this incredibly cool open workshop. Space and light everywhere, and the constant reminder that every piece you see is handmade by real live skilled artists right there.

After walking through this beautiful space, I reached the rear meeting room where the lovely Lauren – my guide for the day – had a tray full of jewelry waiting for me.

I’ve seen this ring’s cousin in beautifully textured yellow gold a while ago; I loved it just as much in white.

How about dainty earrings? I love the balance of the warm gold to the perfect rose but bubbles of the diamonds.

Most of what I saw at the Todd Reed studio was diamond-focused, but not all. This gorgeous teardrop of a pendant is green tourmaline.

A closer look at the rings from above! I think that big guy in the middle miiiiight have been my favorite of the day. That incredible faceted diamond in its sunburst of a setting.

This pendant.

I’d seen it before online, but I didn’t realize how extraordinary it is until I had it in my hand in front of a sunny window. The differently-colored marquise cut diamonds glow like stained glass when the light comes through.

I took about 80 photos just like this, trying to get this effect perfectly. What do you think?

I freaking love these earrings.

Those huge diamond slices with their large facets are just incredible. So glamorous, but not in a “look at me, look at me” way. The view this cut gives you of the natural stone is amazing.

I’d admired this cuff on Instagram months before; when I spotted it in one of the front cases of the Todd Reed studio I went right for it. It’s like diamond rain, captured in motion with golden bezels against a deliciously textured background.

That’s it for now, my dears! What do you think of Todd Reed’s distinctive style? Is it floating your boat?

I should have some more Todd Reed goodness coming your way next month…stay tuned. A huge thanks to Lauren for showing me around the Boulder Todd Reed studio and to Liz for arranging it!

I met with Joel of Freestone Peach Designs while sitting on a couch in the middle of the busy floor of another jewelry event. He introduced himself, shook my hand, and then unzipped his backpack to withdraw three small bundles, each wrapped in a piece of various colored flannel.

Inside each bundle was a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted Freestone Peach cuff bracelet: the works of wearable art that we’ll be talking about today.Joel’s personal history goes a long way towards explaining how he came to develop such a captivating vision: he’s had quite a journey to get where he is today.

A formal Navy company commander who is fluent in Japanese, Joel has studied architecture, business, and healthcare administration, lived all over the US and in Japan (four separate times) and worked in construction, project planning, and served in the Navy.

After the conclusion of his military career, Joel enrolled in business school to pursue the next phase of his life. He picked up some work with a Japanese construction company, and then inspiration struck.

My favorite line of Joel’s artist bio: Little did he know that he went to business school to become an artist.

Like the pieces of wood that he transforms, Joel needed to be shaped by life in order to be ready to found Freestone Peach Designs. In his own words: My art is a convergence of every place that I have lived.

To create his one of a kind Freestone Peach designs, Joel collects wood that would otherwise be destroyed; he harvests from non-producing trees slated to be burned or worm-eaten scraps, the weathered limbs of trees that would otherwise be done with fruitful life.

Joel sets the cracks and fissures in this ruptured wood with gemstones: uneven, fractured, gemstones that otherwise may not have ever been used for jewelry.

Thanks to Freestone Peach Design’s unique manufacturing processes, these two organic materials – both unwanted on their own – join to become something wonderful, fresh, and new.The piece above features peach wood set with opals. I found the flash of the opal’s fire to be utterly captivating against the grain of the peach wood.

Joel fits the stones and the wood so perfectly together that the final product appears to be something grown, rather than something carefully created by human hands. This one features peach wood with Kingman turquoise and copper.

His design aesthetic is strongly influenced by his experience with the Japanese culture. He speaks often of his dedication to the principles of the Shibui aesthetic: Simplicity, Implicitness, Modesty, Silence, Naturalness, Everydayness, and Imperfection.

What do you think of these designs, darlings? I’m head over heels – the idea of making something beautiful out of wood that would otherwise just be destroyed is such a wonderful metaphor, and the final product is stunning.

A huge thanks to Joel of Freestone Peach Designs for meeting with me and allowing me to photograph his beautiful work. For inquiries, please contact Joel directly at freestonepeachdesigns@gmail.com.

It’s been ages, hasn’t it? I’m back now, a happily married, thoroughly-honeymooned and very relaxed lady. (I highly recommend the thoroughly-honeymooned state). I spent most of the past two weeks in the Caribbean, luxuriating in a delicious honeymoon-like manner on Turks and Caicos. That means I have only one color on the brain: shimmering ocean-blue turquoise.

We’re keeping it under $100 today, because my post-wedding/honeymoonbling budget is preeeeeettty minimal and I am in the mood to remind myself that there are still pretties in the world I could probably afford again someday. No regrets though: everything wedding and honeymoon related was perfection.

As you know, my dears, I recently had the incredible opportunity to jet off to Italy to attend the magnificent VicenzaOro show.

The six pillars above represent the six communities that made up the “jewelry city” that was the VicenzaOro Boutique Show’s layout.

The show’s vendors were carefully grouped to make the show pleasurable to navigate for prospective buyers (and wide-eyed jewelery bloggers) by “creating homogeneous communities of clearly recognisable companies based on reference values, positioning, organisation systems, types of production and overall image.”

It took a little bit of getting used to, but after my first day at the show I had no problem knowing which direction to walk in if I wanted to see jewelry with a particular feel to it. The approach was a success, based on my own experience and the fact that buyer attendance at VicenzaOro was up 13% this year.

The show was enhanced by an ongoing schedule of press conferences and talks given by the organizers, visiting experts, etc.. My favorite was Paola De Luca’s Trendvision presentation on global jewelry trends, which I found to be both insightful and very well delivered.

As if that’s not enough, we visiting press were also treated to a buffet of curated cultural experiences after show hours, from a masterful jazz piano recital to beautiful dinner, frequent glasses of prosecco, and private tours of both Tutankhamon Caravaggio Van Gogh and Vincenza’s brand new Jewelery Museum, both in the historic Basilica Palladiana.

The Jewelry Museum will be getting its own post soon, don’t you worry.

VicenzaOro also thoughtfully provided the above Press Lounge and VIP dining areas, where I was always very grateful to rest for a moment and charge my phone while sipping a cappuccino. All of this in the company of my fabulous press posse, fellow attendees Jen Heebner, Michelle Graff, Monica Stephenson, Cynthia Unninayar, and PR maven Jen Cullen Williams. Have I mentioned how amazing this trip was? It was amazing.

Want to see the jewels now? Of course you do.

These beauties are from Brumani, which was my very first stop. I’ve admired these earrings – and other pieces from the Brumani Baobab collection – online before, but I’d never seen any of the jewels in person. The way I feel when I see a piece that I’ve admired online is similar to how normal people feel when they see celebrities in real life, I think.

These were magnificent. I have a soft spot for this kind of gemstone-coating over a piece, especially when it uses stones of different cut, color, and texture to such great effect.

Here’s another piece from the Baobab collection. It has such an interesting, organic feel – what do you think of it?

What happens when you take the Brumani style and add Paraiba tourmaline? This. This is what happens. *falls on floor*

I loved these quartz and diamond rings even before I tried them on, but they they way they come to life when worn is just sublime. This is the Looping Shine collection – Taylor Swift recently stepped out wearing the matching ear climbers.

The best part about VicenzaOro is that it brought me into contact with brands I’ve never encountered before. Micheletto was one of my favorite such discoveries – they’re responsible for the gorgeous ring above. It’s made of interlocking rosewood and gold links.

Here are a couple of bracelets in the same gold and rosewood style. They were so light and smooth – everything about them spoke of expert craftsmanship.

Micheletto also produces some incredibly rich textured gold pieces, like this ribbon bracelet.

VicenzaOro was also my first experience with Italian brand Mattioli, whose suite I came across almost by accident (although one look at their window displays and I marched right inside and asked to see the jewelry).

They have a wide selection of pieces, ranging from elaborate masterpieces to thoughtfully convertible pieces with a wide appeal. The earrings above are a perfect example of their versatile, wearable pieces: the basic hoops, shown above in diamond, can be accentuated with any of the differently colored pieces in the wheel of color options. They come in multiple sizes, too. How genius is that?

Mattioli also had some extremely cool pieces made in this golden mesh-like style. How cool is this ring? I love how the pattern curves in perfect harmony along the side of the shank. My eye could follow those lines all day.

Some rings in a similar vein, but smaller and featuring polished stones in the middle.

This little guy and I really hit it off at Mattioli. Just look at his little feet and how he’s clinging to my finger! I liked wearing him next to his golden shadow.

Another collection of wildlife-inspired pieces at Mattioli featured these incredibly interesting claw rings in gold. I liked the lion (or tiger?) ring on the left – love that contrast between the sharp, straight claws and the gentle curl of the tail.

Mattioli shares my interest in unusual gemstone color combination. How delectable is this collection of rings?

I thought this particular color combination made an amazing pendant, too. Packs a big punch in a small piece. Well done, Mattioli.

I had never heard of Touscé before I wandered by their display at VicenzaOro, but I was glad I found them.

How cool are these stacking rings? Sort of industrial-chic, and extremely versatile, as most of them are only partly embellished with diamonds. Twisting one or two rings around gives the whole stack a different look.

Here’s another interesting find: This brand, Dupuenti, specializes in diamonds set in flexible, brightly colored rubber. A fun idea, and such great colors.

What do you think of this concept? Would you wear a piece like this?

Turns out I saw so many pretties at VicenzaOro that I can’t fit them all in one post! I’m kissing you goodbye for now with the help of this Mattioli lips ring. Stay tuned for a part two!

Thank you again to VicenzaOro and Luxury Brand Group for the opportunity to have this experience, and, of course, to all of the VicenzaOro vendors who took the time to let me admire their beautiful wares in Italy.